A 33-year-old woman from southern Greece has been charged with the murder of her 9-year-old daughter, and the deaths of her two other daughters in the past three years are being reviewed in a case that has drawn national attention.
The suspect, who was not formally identified in accordance with Greek law, was arrested a day after being detained for questioning on Wednesday. Flanked by riot police and in handcuffs, she appeared in court in Athens on Thursday for her arraignment.
This came after the results of tissue tests showed the presence of an anaesthetic drug that had not been administered by the girl’s doctors. The 9-year-old died in January following an eight-month hospitalisation.
A 33-year-old woman, center with the hooded jacket, is escorted by police as she leaves the court in Athens, Greece, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Photo: John Liakos/InTime News via AP.
A panel of senior coroners is also leading a review into the death of the suspect’s two other children: a 3-year-old girl from liver failure in 2019 and a 6-month-old girl in 2021 from a suspected heart defect.
Tissue samples retained from the two girls are now being re-examined, authorities said.
The suspect has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to formally respond to the charges on Monday.
Angry mob gathers outside suspects house:
With this news causing shockwaves across Greece, protesters also gathered outside the mother’s home in the port city of Patras on Wednesday night.
Η #Ρουλαπισπιριγκου φέρεται να έχει σκοτώσει τα 3 της παιδιά χωρίς όμως μέχρι τώρα να έχει ομολογήσει… Όλοι αυτοί οι συγκεντρωμένοι έξω από τα σπίτι της στη #Πατρα έχουν δολοφονήσει – χωρίς «φέρεται» – τις ψυχές και τις συνειδήσεις των δικών τους παιδιών… #Ρουλα_πισπιριγκουpic.twitter.com/NIhBJEz8Iw
Roughly 500 people could be heard calling out “Hang her” and “Give her to the people.” Others were calling for the woman’s family, who were inside, to come out and face them.
Greek police were forced to intervene to maintain order.
The crowd started to disperse around 4 o’clock in the morning and the family left the home a short time later.
Greece’s Communist Party (KKE) announced on Thursday it would not participate in a special parliamentary session on April 7 where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address lawmakers.
In a statement, the KKE announced said it would not attend the meeting, claiming, among other things, that the Ukrainian government had legitimised “Nazi propaganda” and banned the operation of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
“The condemnation of the unacceptable invasion and imperialist war waged by Russia on the territory of Ukraine, and at the same time the solidarity with the people of Ukraine, has nothing to do with any support for President Zelenskyy,” KKE said in the statement.
Communist Party to skip Ukrainian President’s speech in Greek Parliament.
“And this particular meeting has just such characteristics, as Zelenskyy is part of the problem, head of a reactionary government, which has been aligned with the US-NATO-EU camp, which is also responsible for the war and the suffering of the people of Ukraine.”
The KKE added that skipping Zelenskyy’s speech is “the greatest sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who, in order to be truly victorious, must rid itself of both the Russian invasion and the Zelenskyy-type governments that drag them to the slaughterhouse of imperialist rivalries and wars.”
They said the party would have reacted the same way if the guest speaker was Russian President Vladimir Putin or US President Joe Biden.
Zelenskyy was invited by Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to speak before Greek Parliament earlier this week. The speech, which is expected to last between 10-15 minutes, will start at 12 pm.
Zelenskyy asks Australia for armoured vehicles and more weapons:
This news comes as Zelenskyy addressed Australian Parliament on Wednesday afternoon and asked for armoured vehicles, the Bushmasters and more weapons.
He also issued a veiled warning that if Russia is not stopped and punished for its invasion, China could take heart and seek to launch its own incursions on its neighbours.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky receives a standing ovation after addressing federal Parliament. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen.
So far, Australia has already sent $91 million in military assistance and $65 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded last month.
Mr Zelensky said he was grateful for Australia’s support but “this is only the beginning; we can and need to do more.”
In response to his speech, Australia has promised another $25 million in military aid to Ukraine, including drones, tactical decoys and rations, and announced it will apply hefty tariffs to all imports from Russia and its supporter Belarus.
Sydney Electrical Contractors from The Hills District has been named Champion Electrical Business at the Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, 19 March 2022 at The Star Sydney, with over 1,000 guests in attendance.
Recognised as the ‘Oscars’ for small business, the Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national recognition program for Australian small businesses.
The program aims to acknowledge outstanding Australian small businesses and encourage high standards of excellence in small business practice.
“The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a way to recognise the efforts of small business people whose efforts contribute to the prosperity and vitality of communities across Australia,” the Managing Director of Precedent Productions and founder of the Awards, Steve Loe, said.
“As a small business owner myself, I know the vision and dedication to excellence required to succeed. These traits have been displayed in abundance by all of our 2021 Australian Small Business Champions.”
The Managing Director of Sydney Electrical Contractors, Haralambos Robert Theodoridis, along with his wife Connie, received an award statuette, certificate and gained national recognition as an industry leader at the Awards night.
They said that having their passion, dedication, commitment and hard work celebrated amongst their peers was an experience they will never forget.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Theodoridis thanked his wife, hard working team and family for supporting him throughout his journey and paid tribute to his parents who migrated to Australia in the 1960’s, like many other Greeks at that time.
“My late father taught me so much when it came to small business. My father came up with the idea of giving every child a lollypop then they would come into our takeaway shop with their families. They would look forward to it and would always leave with a huge smile on their faces,” Mr Theodoridis explained.
“It’s something I’ll never forget and that’s what we endeavour to achieve with all our new and loyal clients every time we complete a project – big or small. When people smile, we feel satisfied. People will always remember how you make them feel.”
The Theodoridis’ want to express how proud they are of their Greek heritage and want to dedicate this award to their parents and every Greek immigrant who worked to provide opportunities for their children to achieve their dreams in Australia.
A number of small businesses from across Australia delivered an impressive array of entries, with winners representing a broad range of industries from all states and territories.
The Awards are presented by the Commonwealth Bank and supported by Awards Partners – Nine Plus, NOVA Employment, University of South Australia – Australian Centre for Business Growth, Castaway Forecasting and Big Clean.
The Australian Small Business Champion Awards have been proudly managed by Precedent Productions, a small business in its own right since their inception in 1999.
Earlier in the week, Sydney Electrical Contractors also won another award for the Best Service and Trade in the Local Business Awards which was held on March 14, 2022 at the Blacktown Workers Club. This award has now been won three years in a row by the company and is a milestone which has not been achieved by many businesses since the awards started over 20 years ago.
Who is Sydney Electrical Contractors?
Sydney Electrical Contractors is a multi-award-winning company specialising in commercial, residential, multi-story residential, property maintenance and level 2 electrical work. The company services many homes and businesses right across Sydney and caters for all project sizes.
With 35 years’ combined experience in the electrical and communications industry, our company is now an Industry leader setting the standard of how electrical businesses need to operate to be successful.
Since its inception in 2013, Sydney Electrical Contractors has been formally recognised by several Industry Bodies for our excellent customer service, reliability and quality work which is a direct result of our hard-working team and commitment we put into every job. No matter how small or big your job is, you can always trust Sydney Electrical Contractors to complete your works efficiently, effectively and to a remarkably high standard.
As a company we always give back to local communities and charities, as we see this as a very important part of our business mission. Sydney Electrical Contractors are also proud sponsors of the Greek National Men’s Rugby League Team which will be competing for the first time in this year’s Rugby League World Cup, held in England.
For all inquiries, please get in touch with our friendly staff and we will be happy to assist you in any way possible. Ph: (02) 8007-7215, Email: info@sec24hr.com.au
Undoubtedly, the decade 1912-1922 was the most important period of the modern history of Hellenism. During this decade, the territorial sovereignty of Greece has more than doubled, its armed forces have been modernised, the ideology of historical Hellenism and its borders has been revised. Greece (Greek territory and the Greek Diaspora) waged defensive and expansionist wars, found itself fighting within the boundaries where Hellenism had been active for thousands of years, but also abroad, up to Ukraine in 1919, registered proud victories and suffered defeats that shrunk its sovereignty and led to the uprooting of Asia Minor Hellenism (Ionic and Pontian).
The Exchange of Population that followed the defeat of the Greek military forces in Asia Minor in August 1922, was the best that could be done for Hellenism, under the circumstances, after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of modern Turkey ( October 29, 1923) (Turkiye> means the state of the Turks], as the remaining state-portion of an empire once covering three continents.
I mentioned that it was “the best for Hellenism” and I must explain myself. The political and social developments that followed with the establishment and operation of the new state of the Turks, clearly showed that the intransigent nationalism and radical chauvinism that characterized successive governments of Turkey (with the exception of the one of the period 1946-1960, in which the Democratic Party came to power, founded by the kind-minded Gelal Bayar and its president Adnan Menderes), would not allow minorities to operate within Turkey.
The old principle of the Ottoman Empire for harmonic cohabitation and socio-economic co-ordination of minorities, as far as possible, was completely overthrown. Successive governments in Turkey, systematically and in a coordinated manner, have designed and established programmes for the Turkification of minorities, imposed policies of forced assimilation or eradication of minorities.
Since October 1923, when the islands of Imbros and Tenedos (the largest islands of Turkey today), were returned to Turkey by Greece, successive Turkish regimes systematically imposed against the Greek Orthodox inhabitants of the islands brutal campaigns of Turkification and savage programs of de-Hellenization. In particular, they violated all the rules of the Treaty of Lausanne.
They installed an army in Imvros and prisons of convicts to force the Greeks to leave their island, either with their immigration to Lemnos, Lesvos and the Greek Diaspora; they confiscated or expropriated with degrading compensation their fields; they encroached on houses and properties. Moreover, they forbade the Greeks to fish, they closed their schools, they confiscated school buildings, they flattened the chapels of Imbros and Tenedos, they deserted the churches and sold precious monuments and icons in Turkey and abroad.
Every time there was tension in Cyprus and in Greek-Turkish relations (1962-1964, 1974 onwards), Turkish intransigence broke out against the Constantinopolitan Greeks and those in Imbros and Tenedos, inexorably, and harshly. In 1923, when Imbros was handed over to the Turks from Greece, the island was demographically the most Greecian of the Archipelago, of the entire Aegean, with 8,000 Greeks and only four Turkish families. Imbros was the only island in the Archipelago, the Aegean, that had no Turkish inhabitants. In 2022, the number of Greek Christians does not exceed 300 people.
I am now convinced that the same fate experience by the Greeks in Imbros and Tenedos would have been suffered by the Hellenism of Pontus and the rest of Asia Minor, from Ionia to Cappadocia. It would have been forced to evoke its national and ethnic identity, or expelled or forced into savage deportations, exiles, and relocations by the radical Turkish regimes of the nationalists.
I analyzed this situation in my recent book, entitled Imbros and Tenedos: The Pendulum of an Interracial Tragedy. At least the uprooted Hellenism of Ionia, Cappadocia, and Pontus, which had been settled in Greece, united, and consolidated into the social and cultural fabric of the rest of Hellenism, rekindled the entire Hellenism, brought progress in trade and in the arts, it grafted the Greek culture of the East with the Greek one, and led modern Greece to years of prosperity, stability and optimism.
If Hellenism had stayed in Asia Minor, in 2022, Turkey would have held hostage all the Greeks who would have remained there, to apply pressure on Greece, while at the same time it would have disintegrated it culturally, linguistically, and socially.
You can imagine what sort of life Hellenism there could have experienced today if they had lived in Turkey. Can you envisage, the size and degree of coercion and intimidation that the Greeks would have experienced if they were citizens of Turkey in 2022, under the authoritarian rule of a megalomaniac leader, who would dream to reconstitute the Ottoman Empire, from Libya and the Middle East to, at least, the Aegean islands and Western Thrace and Eastern Rumelia?
Can you imagine, like the Russian Ukrainian recent tragedy, once again to experience a Greco-Turkish war conflict, inspired by the megalomaniac Sultan of our time, claiming under the pretext of revisionism, that Greece was once part of an Ottoman Empire, so he could claim not only rocky islets, but entire Greek territories?
Finally, can you imagine a Greece, without having the Asia Minor Hellenism in the Peloponnese, Crete, Macedonia, and Thrace? One can easily assess what the current situation would have been in Greece, without these refugees from Asia Minor.
These refugees were who brought to contemporary Greece the light of a vast civilization of the East, a civilization which carries on it the core values of the Church Fathers and the Cappadocian hierarchs, the light of Kontoglou, the voice of the Pontian hierarch of Chrysanthos, the greatness of Onassis and Konialidis, Botosakis and other eminent voices of Hellenism.
Therefore, our national calamity would have been greater, if Hellenism of Asia Minor had been destroyed and eradicated, remaining in the Ionian land, in Cappadocia of the Saints and the Hierarchs and the heroic Pontus, rather than to be uprooted and implanted into the heart of Mother Greece.
The historical memory of a people cannot be conquered. The oppressors of revisionism cannot flatten the memory of the homelands of a nation. Surely, the borders of a state are the result of political negotiations and the outcome of wars, they are the result of the decision of the strongest of the states, the mighty of the earth. However, the memory of the homelands and the culture of our people in Asia Minor, remains an ineffable light and voice of our Nation, which keeps us cohesive and enshrines us historically as a nation.
The former leader of the Federal Labor Party, Bill Shorten, paid a visit to the Greek Centre where he met with members of the Board of Directors and discussed issues related to the Greek community, including the return of the Marbles of Parthenon.
Mr Shorten was welcomed by the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Bill Papastergiadis OAM, Vice Presidents Anthea Sidiropoulos and Michael Karamitos, General Secretary Nick Koukouvitakis, and the Treasurer Marinis Pirpiris.
‘It is great to have you at the Greek Centre once again. You have been to every major event we organised in the past,” said Mr Papastergiadis.
Mr Shorten acknowledged the contribution of the Greek migrants to Australia by saying that “we are lucky to have so many people of Greek heritage”.
I met with Melb Greek Community Leader’s this week to chat about the upcoming election. Did you know there’s small replica of the Parthenon Marbles in Lonsdale St? Amazing! Thanks also for the best sweet Greek coffee. 🇬🇷🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/4HVLw717BZ
“The Australians of Greek heritage made a great contribution to Australia”, he said. “We are very lucky to have so many people of Greek heritage. For the Greek-Australians, the Greeks, and for all Australians who love the history of Greece, the UK must return the Parthenon Marbles. They were taken in a different time, and now is the time for the British Government and the British Museum to return a cornerstone of Greek heritage to their home in Greece, so that everyone can enjoy them.”
Also, Federal MP Maria Vamvakinou visited the offices of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM).
Ms Vamvakinou met with the President of the GCM Bill Papastergiadis, Vice President Anthea Sidiropoulos, and the members of the Board of Directors Dr Spyridoula Dimitriou and Dr Nikos Dallas.
Issues concerning the GCM and the Greek community were discussed with Ms. Vamvakinou, such as the call of the Labor Party in Parliament for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
“It is an issue that as the Labor Party, and as politicians who have good and long-term relations with the Greek community, we are interested in and want to promote, so that one day we can achieve the return of the Parthenon Marbles,” Ms Vamvakinou said.
Mr. Papastergiadis welcomed the Opposition’s initiative to submit a proposal to the federal parliament for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. “We applaud this move but also the way the government treats issues of multiculturalism.
“Our Greek Center has been characterized as the Parthenon of the Southern Hemisphere. This is very important for us. We are very happy with the proposal the Labor Party made, and we wish you success.”
On behalf of the GCM Board of Directors, Ms Anthea Sidiropoulos thanked Ms Vamvakinou for her visit to the Greek Center.
“I thank Maria Vamvakinou for visiting us today. I wish you on behalf of the Board the all the best and especially to succeess with your initiative for the return of the Parthenon Marbles,” she said.
Dr Spyridoula Dimitriou said that she was glad for the installation of the copy of the Parthenon Frieze in the GCM building:
“I am personally glad for the installation of a copy of the Parthenon Frieze in the Greek Community building. I am happy as a Greek when I go to Greece and see the Parthenon. Now, here in Melbourne we will have our own in the Greek Center. When I come here I will always smile. I’ll feel good and proud of that.”
Professor Anastasios Tamis’ book, The Children of Pan: Arcadians in Australia, will be launched by the Greek Festival of Sydney on Friday, April 8 at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba.
The launch will start at 6.30pm and the book will be presented by the Sir Nicholas Laurantus Chair in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney, Professor Vrasidas Karalis.
A large number of people are expected to attend the book launch including, but not limited to, the President of the Federation of Arcadian Associations of Australia, Dimitrios Alexopoulos OAM; the President of the Pan-Arcadian Association of NSW, Philippos Koinis; and the President of the Pan-Arcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria, Ioannis Dimitropoulos.
They will learn all about Professor Tamis’ book which details the immigration and the socio-economic, cultural, and political organisation of over 60,000 Arcadians who settled in Australia from 1953 to 1980.
The book also records the harsh years of the Arcadians exodus from their ancestral lands, the painful initial awareness of a unknown industrial environment and an alien culture, and the sacrifices of those who worked so hard to preserve the values of their homeland.
At the conclusion of the formal proceedings, guests will be able to enjoy a welcoming reception with light dishes and drinks from the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW. During this time, Professor Tamis will conduct a book signing.
Details:
What: The Children of Pan: Arcadians in Australia book launch.
Where: Greek Community Club, 206-210 Lakemba St, Lakemba.
Defence operations analyst, Dr Alexander Kalloniatis, has been awarded the 2021 Defence Minister’s Award for Achievement in Science and Technology.
According to the Department of Defence, Dr Kalloniatis has been conducting research and development in various ADF headquarters over the past 17 years, which has led to improved ADF command and control structures (C2) and created an agile ‘5th generation headquarters’ environment.
C2 is the capability by which information is passed and decision-making is delegated through an organisation to achieve missions. In the military context, that means the decision-making processes from the joint top-level headquarters to the war-fighters on the front line.
Dr Kalloniatis’ work at Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) has led to new understanding about how to improve C2 agility, a critical enabler for modern defence operations.
“I have worked very hard as a defence scientist,” Dr Kalloniatis said after news of his award was announced.
“But from the day I walked in here a lot of people, leaders past and present, have put faith in me and have given me the opportunity to develop and build a profile in this area.
Chief Defence Scientist, Professor Tanya Monro presents Dr Alex Kalloniatis, right, with the 2021 Defence Minister’s Award for Achievement in Science in Canberra, ACT. Photo: Ms Nicole Mankowski.
“I feel that my Minister’s Award also reflects on those colleagues and the patience they have put into developing DSTG’s operations analysis capability.”
Canberra’s local Greek community are also proud of Dr Kalloniatis’ achievements. In his spare time, he is lead chanter at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston.
In a post on Facebook, the Church congratulated Dr Kalloniatis for his distinction and said: “we feel very proud for his achievement and for having him close to us and for making us rejoice with his melodic voice in our services.”
Greek Australian young gun, Emmanuel Tzanakes, has departed Sydney with the Australian Futsalroos squad ahead of the 17th AFF Futsal Championship in Bangkok, Thailand this year.
Tzanakes is one of 14 players on the squad, including Dylan Niski, Mark Brackenrig, Daniel Fornito and Anthony Haddad, among many others.
Emmanuel Tzanakes
Having just turned 20 years old in March, Tzanakes is believed to be the youngest member of the Futsalroos.
In Group B, the green and gold will meet Vietnam, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste, with the top three nations at the competition earning the right to represent ASEAN at the AFC Futsal Championship in Kuwait later this year.
This is the sixth time the Futsalroos will appear at the AFF Futsal Championship. The Futsalroos finished as Runners Up in 2007, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
In a speech to Federal Parliament, independent senator Rex Patrick has lashed out at Nick Xenophon, who was hired to do legal work for Chinese tech giant Huawei more than two years ago.
Senator Patrick invoked Nazi Germany in his speech, comparing Mr Xenophon’s legal work for Huawei to being on the payroll of German arms manufacturers on the eve of World War II.
“[Mr Xenophon] was entitled, as a private individual, to work for whoever he wished,” Senator Patrick told the Senate on Wednesday night.
In response to my speech and media inquiries, @Nick_Xenophon won’t disclose the terms of his contract with @Huawei or what he was tasked to do for the huge Chinese telco. Sadly, that’s not the standard of transparency he once applied to others. #auspolhttps://t.co/4KDEd8I3gS
“But the choice he made was akin to someone choosing to do PR work for the German companies Krupp or Messerschmitt in 1938.”
Krupp was a major weapons supplier to the Third Reich, while Messerschmitt was an aircraft company that built planes for the Luftwaffe that were then deployed to raze European cities.
In response, Xenophon has hit back at Senator Patrick.
Nick Xenophon has taken aim at Rex Patrick.
He told Guardian Australia: “It is unbecoming of Rex Patrick to reference the lead-up to the Holocaust in a miserable attempt to dredge up some votes.”
“Rex needs to get his head out of the clouds with his military obsessions and focus on the urgent needs of everyday South Australians,” Mr Xenophon added.
This escalating war of words comes after both men recently announced their intentions to seek re-election to the Senate at the upcoming federal election.
